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BLUEBIRD UPDATE — 2008 TRAIL REPORT.

Guarding his goodies!

Trail 2008 Report:

I had Eastern Bluebird families and Carolina Chickadee families in my nestboxes. One box was raided either by an avian predator or a Black Rat Snake that was large enough to get over my stovepipe baffle. Two boxes were infested with blowflies. One brood died but the other brood were saved by me by having a man-made switched out nest and the chicks got well and fledged at 18 days. All of my boxes were paired on my property for Tree Swallows to nest as neighbors with the Eastern Bluebirds so as to warrant off unwanted territorial fighting. No Tree Swallows nested, so I moved many of my boxes into other areas in Woolwine and left 5 on my acreage. I am featured on the Fall 2008 Virginia Bluebird Society’s newsletter on Page 6, “Lessons from a New Bluebirder”. Here is a cut and paste from the article from that newsletter below. You can also go to the Virginia Bluebird Society’s website/Newsletters: http://www.virginiabluebirds.org/

Fall 2008 VBS article:

“Lessons of a New Bluebirder”, by Christine

This is my third year of bluebirding. In my first year, 2006, my husband andI moved to our new home in Woolwine, Virginia, and found an old bluebirdnestbox in the back yard. To our surprise, there were bluebirds nestingthere upon our arrival that first week of March. But a week after we moved in, Ifound a big black rat snake hanging out of the box’s entry hole. I was horrified!

We cleaned out the box, built a hardware cloth baffle, and placed it underneath the box. The same pair apparently came back and tried again, but the second brood died the first day after hatching, from the 100-degree heat. After that, wetook the box down, and I started my studies about bluebirds.

My second year, 2007, our new neighbors dropped off a nestbox as a gift. Carl Rupprecht, who made the box in his woodworking shop, helped me install it behind our house on a pole with a predator baffle. We were able to joyfully watch two broods make it into the world that season.

This year, my neighbor helped me build my first bluebird trail of 14 boxes. I experimented by doubling up the boxes 15 feet apart, because we had seen Tree Swallows diving out of the trees and into our pond the year before. Some of theboxes on the trail were not occupied, but the ones that attracted Carolina Chickadees and Eastern Bluebirds. The first broods did well and fledged. I had no snake predation and no House Sparrows. The second nesting proved problematic. I noticed that one of my boxes seemed to be in trouble. I photographed the parents from afar in the field one morning and was wondering why the male came with food only four times within two hours. When I checked the box the next day, I found the chicks had died, all four of them. I immediately removed them and the nest and took them back home to investigate what happened. Blowflies! I was stunned. As I thought about it, we had three days of over 90-degree heat the week before. There was a lot of dust at the bottom of the box underneath the pine needle nest, and I saw the larvae in it as well. I found one live and one dead adult blowfly in the center of the nest buried in there, and more larvae. When I looked at the dead chicks on the underside, I didn’t see larvae attached to them. I then realized that I was not checking closely enough for any indication blowflies even existed – my first experience with this problem. I did look for insects and didn’t see any. The nest appeared clean, and I watched the parents bring food. Now I realize the blowfly larvae were hidden inside the nest underneath the babies, and I had missed them completely. I felt sad that the second brood died, but I also was on alert for blowflies on the trail. Sure enough, I found another nestbox with blowflies. The chicks looked anemic and weak at five days, and they had feathers only in stripes on their backs. This time I had to intervene! I quickly switched the contaminated pine needle nest with a homemade pine needle nest. I put the needles in, tamped it down with my fist, and added some grasses for softness. I carefully picked up the sick five-day-old chicks and placed them in the new nest while my husband stood by with an umbrella to shade us from the sun. Both parents were watching me in the trees and came back to the box a few minutes later. I left the nest alone for a few days. When I checked on Day 8, I was truly amazed! The chicks were larger, growing feathers again, and looking bluer and healthier. They fledged at exactly 18 days.

I’ve learned as a new monitor that there will be losses. However, with love and devotion and learning about these marvelous birds each year, the celebrations outweigh the losses, and monitoring is worth every minute of my time. I have a feeling of accomplishment helping the beloved bluebirds!

BELOW: 12-Day Old Healthy Chicks photo below….they should fledge between 15-18 days. These were in the Mountain Rose Inn’s nestbox in 2008. Many thanks to Mike and Dora Jane for their continued support!

How It Started–Just Why I Love Them. They Charmed Me!

So, you must know this first from me: Bluebirding is extremely rewarding! I had no idea the joys of bluebirds until I saw my first nestbox with both parents feeding their little babies early Spring 2006. This was discovered immediately upon moving into our new home with unpacked boxes crowding the rooms. I heard the sweet cheeping and the brilliant color of Papa Bluebird feeding his young. Soon, Mrs. Bluebird was feeding them as well. Soon I found myself looking out at the nest box very often to watch them. A few days later on a warm spring afternoon, I was wondering why I was not hearing that cheeping anymore. Why was it so quiet back there? I looked out my window at the nest box and, to my horror; I saw a black rat snake dangling out of the nest box's entry hole with lumps in its body. Subsequently the couple tried nesting again; and their second hatchlings died on Day 1 from the excessive 100 degree heat. I figured it out-- they were in a poorly ventilated nest box in afternoon sun -- they baked to death – they had no strength to take in food from their parents after hatching. This was an existing weathered nest box, quite quaint, obviously very old and probably was enjoyed for many years by the former homeowners. It was installed in the back yard close to the house on a 4x4 wood post. I knew something wasn't right that a predator could get to the birds so easily or that baby birds could die from the heat so quickly. Sure, "it's nature", as many say to me; but I have to ask in return: If humans put up a nestbox to invite our resident birds to use them, is that not playing a practical joke on them if we don't give them a chance to "succeed" in them without the use of predator guards? -- in other words, enticing them to use a nest box for them to use but then tell them “Here, raise your family here but NEST AT YOUR OWN RISK.” OK, a bit of joking aside, it's a point and one I have thought about in great length. There has to be a balance here with nature, of course. A natural cavity is pure nature--if a bluebird nests naturally in what nature leaves for them, and they fail because they are taken by another natural predator--that is truly nature and who am I to intervene? My curiosity and disappointment drew me to these thoughts to myself, "I have to find out how to change this! I want to see bluebirds raise a family! Can I help them succeed when I install something I make for them--a nest box from a workshop?" Obviously, after those two failures of watching these bluebirds lose their families, I became bound and determined to troubleshoot this and get a proper nest box installed for them in the right habitat to use in the future that would give them a safer place to nest and successfully bring up a family—call out to their young that it was time to leave the box and come into the world. Once I witnessed for myself maiden flights (called fledging) of healthy baby bluebirds, I became hooked on this worthy hobby, if you want to call it that -- a cause and new ambition I wanted to fulfill to help my own local bluebirds. Soon after that, I learned in my research why the numbers of the three species of bluebirds in North America declined drastically in the past century and all the challenges they still face -- even today. This is how the Woolwine House Bluebird Trail commenced -- and with the gracious help from my neighbor a few miles down my road, Carl, who worked with me to plan and build the nest boxes I wanted for my new bluebird trail in his workshop with 14 nest boxes. He graciously assisted me in the installation process, using his tools, and with annual repairs, as needed. Today, I am happy to say I will be monitoring and keeping accurate records of 33 nest boxes on my bluebird trail for Year 2013! I owe many thanks to all the property owners granting me permission to install and access these nest boxes on their private properties. These nest boxes are designs that give excellent ventilation on those very hot days, good floor drainage to help keep nests dry, the right amount of space inside the box for the nestlings as they develop and grow, easily opened for safe observation, troubleshooting issues and problems, cleaning out the soiled nests yet secure when closed, and a sloped and kerfed roof with a large overhang that repels rainwater. The bluebird population numbers have come back in the past decade thanks to the man-made nest box projects across North America. Bluebird scientists, ornithologists, and experts all agree -- bluebirds will always be in need of human assistance to continue to thrive in the 21st Century. Too many problems can take place in putting up a nestbox and then leaving it unattended—uncared for—unmonitored—unmaintained—unrepaired—without predator guards—and more. We do not want the non-native House Sparrow taking over these boxes. If wasps occupy a nest box, birds cannot. Monitoring nest boxes is a must if we want to help bluebirds and other native cavity-nesting birds. There are just too many issues that will go against them succeeding in fledging young. I also learned that an average of about 50% of fledged baby bluebirds live to be a year old. If you ask me, we cannot have too many bluebirds. This site brings you closer to my bluebird trail. Come take a walk around here and see what's happening! I am open to new ideas and suggestions--feel free to offer your comments. Come to the Facebook page and see the discussions. Ask questions. This is my passion -- I love doing this. However, I do more than bluebirding. My other interests include: Photography, Hummingbirds, Antiquing and Things Vintage, Tibetan Terriers, Horses, Steam Trains, Music Appreciation, Nature and Naturalist Activities, and Weather and Wildlife Watching -- of course, keeping the Facebook page and this website up to date. There is never time to get bored.